Bluebonnet celebrated several milestones in 2019. In addition to its 80th anniversary and surpassing 100,000 meters and 10,000 followers on Facebook, the cooperative added its 1,000th renewable energy member in November. 

Pandiyan Kaliyamoorthy of Austin, center, received a cooler full of goodies, including a solar-powered portable battery pack, from Bluebonnet’s Brittany Hardy, a member service representative, and Wesley Brinkmeyer, manager of energy services. Another milestone this year: The capacity of Bluebonnet members’ renewable power is expected to exceed 10 megawatts early this year.

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BY WILL HOLFORD

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative celebrated a new milestone in April when it exceeded the 100,000-meter mark for the
first time in its 80-year history.

“This is a significant achievement for Bluebonnet and our members,” said Ben Flencher, Bluebonnet’s board chairman. “Exceeding 100,000 meters puts Bluebonnet in elite company and the next tier in terms of size among electric co-ops across the country, something few co-ops have accomplished.”

The number of meters on a utility’s system is an important metric used to measure utilities.

As of 2018, fewer than 35 of the more than 800 electric cooperatives in the United States have more than 100,000 meters. Five of those co-ops, including Bluebonnet, are in Texas.

Bluebonnet’s meter growth has accelerated during the past two years, adding nearly 4,000 meters per year.

“While we have experienced unprecedented growth in recent years, we have and will always remain committed to providing outstanding, reliable service to our members and being an integral part of the communities we serve,” said Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s general manager.

Bluebonnet’s growth has been the result of a boom in housing on the western side of its service area and significant industrial growth in its central and eastern regions. Large subdivisions and apartment complexes have been built in Travis, Bastrop, Hays and Caldwell counties. Commercial growth is spread across Bluebonnet’s entire service area, but large-scale oil and gas production, water wells and pipelines are concentrated more in the cooperative’s mostly rural eastern regions. This diversity of growth means the cooperative is not overly reliant on one type of member for revenue.

“We have managed the growth that we have experienced so that it not only has paid for itself, but has benefitted our current members,” Bentke said. “We have the financial capacity to build the infrastructure needed to serve our new members without raising rates.”  

Three lucky new members who helped push the cooperative over the milestone meter count were welcomed with gift baskets. (See videos of them on facebook.com/BluebonnetElectric, in the videos section.)

As Bluebonnet celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, its legacy of member service, community support and safe, reliable electric power continues to grow.

“This is an exciting time in Bluebonnet’s history,” Bentke said. “Our future is bright due in large part to the members, directors and employees who, during the past 80 years, helped build Bluebonnet into one of the largest cooperatives and best utilities in the nation. Their dedication and legacy pushes us forward.”

BY CLAYTON STROMBERGER

At the Luling Foundation, refining the production of the very best Angus cattle is done by combining detailed research and science’s latest tools. Here are a few interesting facts about the work:

• EPD, or Estimated Progeny Difference, is a detailed analysis of data about a sire and dam that is exact enough for breeders to place a dollar value on a calf destined to produce top-quality beef.
• At the foundation facility, tanks of liquid nitrogen can hold up to 600 “straws” of valuable semen.
• Ideally, a bull used to breed heifers should have a genetic trait to sire a low- to moderate-weight calf at birth.
• The foundation’s certified group scale can weigh 8 to 10 feeder-weight calves at a time (up to 10,000 pounds). Weight is important when cattle are loaded onto trucks, where a delicate balance of weight distribution is essential.
• The cattle pens were designed by Temple Grandin, a celebrated author and animal science expert who promotes humane, stress-reducing livestock handling and facility design.

A modern alternative: freeze branding

Rather than fire branding, the Luling Foundation has been marking its cattle with denatured alcohol and dry ice since starting its Angus herd in 2000. This method can reduce the risk of infection that can occur with fire branding. How it works:

• The technique is only used on cattle with dark hides.
• The area to be branded is shaved and sprayed with denatured alcohol until soaked.
• The brand is removed from coolant and placed on the animal for 50 seconds; holding the brand firmly in place is difficult but necessary.
• A few weeks after branding, the hair loses its pigmentation and hair follicles turn white, creating a distinctive, easily readable brand.